HSMAI’s Sales Advisory Board recently discussed Demystifying the Digital Marketplace, (available at no cost to HSMAI members, code "HSMAI2016"), and were joined in their discussion by Cindy Estis Green, co-author of the report and co-founder of Kalibri Labs.

Part 1 of “DDM” is at a micro level, and describes the key players and current models. Part 2 focuses on hotel performance. Part 3, coming soon, will focus on what actions hoteliers can take to better manage their acquisition costs and reduce the cost of sales.

Why should sales people care? How do changing distribution trends impact direct sales? Simply put, the sourcing of group business is becoming increasingly intermediated. According to Estis Green, the cost of customer acquisition is central to the discussions for managing hotels because it is15-25% of Guest Paid Revenue (for transient and group business combined). This amounts to $25 billion across the U.S. hotel industry alone as of last year. This should be of concern as it is 3-4 times what it has been in the past.

From the Sales Advisory Board’s perspective, their highest priority is to reduce the industry-wide cost of sales and customer acquisition. It won’t be easy, but you have to start somewhere. For the last 20-25 years, the hotel industry has been building up intermediaries, and it will take time and effort to change this relationship and reverse the trend. Brands are trying to wrestle back control, get more direct bookings, and depend less on intermediation.

As financial executives focus more and more on the costs of sales and marketing, there is a trend to optimize business mix while taking into account the costs of acquisition. Some companies are taking action by rethinking measurements for their sales and revenue management teams – rewarding revenue net of acquisition costs.

Other measures getting attention include COPE (Control to Operational Profit and Expenses). This measures the revenue left after direct costs triggered by the transaction are removed. These include retail commissions, wholesale commissions, loyalty costs, transactional fees, and channel costs.

Net Revenue subtracts sales and marketing expenses (payroll, allocations from the brands, loyalty costs), providing the total cost of customer acquisition including the direct cost of the transaction.

Sales people (along with marketers and revenue managers) must think about the relationship between revenue and its costs. For years customer acquisition costs were relatively static, but now they are very dynamic with more costs going to third parties for group and transient bookings. Until the industry can quantify, measure, and manage these costs, it will be difficult to find a solution.

The data captured for this study includes guest stay and cost of stay information from 25,000 hotels including large, independent, and small properties providing more than 100 million transactions per month to analyze. External data has been used to augment this data, including supply and demand for Airbnb and consumer review data aggregating from more than 50 sources. The report also takes into account the loyalty effect, measuring how much the base of loyalty contributes to overall hotel performance.

The report looks at Hotel Collected Revenue (HCR) as reported by the hotel and posts to their P&L. But as we all know there is a portion of business booked that comes through third parties such as opaque OTAs, wholesalers, and merchant model OTAs where the guest pays the third party directly. When added to the Hotel Collected Revenue, this is defined as Guest Pay Revenue (GPR) and lets the hotel know what the customer was willing to pay for the room. In the U.S. in 2016, the HCR was $120 and the GPR was $123.

Some highlights from data gathered from 2014 to June of 2016 include:

Guest Pay Revenue grew at 4.6% year over year. Net Revenue rose at 4%. In a perfect world, these two figures should be equal.

OTA commissions are rising 3 times as fast as GPR.

This is due to the amount of business subject to commissions.

In the U.S. market, OTA commissions are 12.4% of total room night revenue.

Retail Travel Agent commissions are rising in line with GPR growth.

OTA costs are rising 2 times as fast as loyalty costs.

With more players entering in the OTA space, it is incumbent on brands and individual hotels to choose which players to partner with, as it will be impossible to effectively have marketing agreements with all players. As the OTAs collectively spend $6 billion a year on marketing, it is important to gain exposure with the partners that can deliver the most exposure and deliver business to the properties.

The data gathered is used for industry benefit to help hotels and brands make better decisions based on measured information and help support the legislative and policy work of groups like AH&LA. It also is used to develop more education around the topic.

]]>2017-08-17T18:19:13+00:00http://hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/kimpton-canary-names-patrick-bryant-as-new-director-of-food-beverage
http://hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/kimpton-canary-names-patrick-bryant-as-new-director-of-food-beverage#When:18:13:47ZSanta Barbara, Calif. - Finch & Fork and Kimpton Canary are pleased to welcome and name Patrick Bryant as the new Director of Food and Beverage for the picturesque hotel and restaurant perched in the center of downtown Santa Barbara. In his role, Bryant will oversee all food and beverage operations for Canary’s 97 rooms, over 7,300 sq. ft. of meeting and event spaces, and its celebrated restaurant, Finch & Fork. Bryant will maintain Finch & Fork’s reputation for hosting beautiful dining events with high-caliber culinary and bar experiences, while upholding the exceptional guest experience they are known for.

Bryant touts over 20 years of industry experience working in high-end, and high-volume, restaurants and hotels across the country. He joins Finch & Fork and Kimpton Canary most recently from “Vegas Top 50” restaurant Vintner Grill, where he served as Director of Special Events & Catering, overseeing multiple event spaces and raising annual revenues by 30%.

During his tenure in the industry, Bryant has worked and led teams who were continuously awarded with prestigious recognitions, such as “20 Best New Restaurants” by Esquire, Open Table “Diners Choice Award,” Wine Spectator “Award of Excellence” and many more.

Bryant, who now resides in Santa Barbara, looks to build upon Finch & Fork and Kimpton Canary’s success by bringing his expertise of providing exceptional culinary experiences to each and every guest. He plans to work closely with the culinary team to elevate the private dining scene, and offer guests something only found at Finch & Fork.

“I am very pleased to welcome Connie to our historic resort and to Benchmark,” said Mr. Herbst. “She comes to us equipped with a strong record of accomplishments, including awards of excellence showcasing her leadership skills and exemplary sales and marketing expertise. She also brings important knowledge of the northern California market to her new role with us.”

Connie Hagston assumes her new position with more than 20 years of experience leading sales and marketing teams and turning around hotels. Ms. Hagston was previously director of sales and marketing for The Silverado Resort and Spa of Napa, California, where she and her team received the 2014 Sales Team of the Year from the property’s management company. She served in the same role for The Lodge at Sonoma, a Marriott Renaissance Resort & Spa in Sonoma, California, where she was honored with the Key Contributor and Sales Leader of the Year awards. She began her career at The Broadmoor of Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Ms. Hagston is a graduate of Blair Business College of Colorado Springs, Colorado. She is a past member of the American Society of Association Executives, the Professional Convention Management Association, Meeting Professionals International, the Association of Meeting Professionals and the Greater Washington Society of Association Executives. Ms. Hagston is relocating to Santa Cruz.

]]>2017-08-17T18:05:00+00:00http://hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/michel-mustiere-named-culinary-director-of-mexicos-velas-resorts
http://hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/michel-mustiere-named-culinary-director-of-mexicos-velas-resorts#When:17:26:49ZRiviera Maya, Mexico (August 17, 2017) — Michel Mustiere has been named Culinary Director of Mexico’s “Beyond All Inclusive, Beyond All Compare” Velas Resorts in Los Cabos, Riviera Maya, Riviera Nayarit and Puerto Vallarta. In his newly created position, he will spearhead everything from new menu development and culinary events with visiting chefs to “foodie” experiences for the company’s five luxury, all-inclusive resorts. He will also lead the team of executive chefs in the resorts’ 22 gourmet restaurants, from French and Asian, to Mexican, Italian, and a contemporary tasting venue, Cocina de Autor. Most recently, Mustiere was Executive Chef of Grand Velas Riviera Maya where he spearheaded world class culinary events including the North American conference for the Maitres Cuisiniers de France (Master Chefs of France) and Academie Culinaire de France as well as the Best of France and Mexico with celebrity chefs Carlos Gaytan, Francisco ‘Paco’ Ruano, Mikel Alonso, Christian Têtedoie, Claude Le-Tohic, and others.

With more than 25 years of culinary experience in various countries and different prestigious restaurants and hotels worldwide, Mustiere is one of only 10 chefs in Mexico to attain the prestigious Master Chef of France title. His formal training and years of leading the culinary teams demands an extreme attention to the details of each dish. He refuses to use thickening agents in the majority of his sauces and instead allows them to reduce for upwards of 12 hours if needed. No shortcuts are taken in Mustiere’s kitchen as he makes ample use of hot sous vide and dehydration techniques that insure the food’s essential flavors come forth.

]]>2017-08-17T17:26:49+00:00http://hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/charles-mckee-appointed-as-chief-commercial-officer-americas-for-carlson
http://hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/charles-mckee-appointed-as-chief-commercial-officer-americas-for-carlson#When:17:15:49ZMINNEAPOLIS AND BRUSSELS (August 17, 2017) – Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group today announced it has named Charles McKee as Senior Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer for the Americas. McKee will report to Ken Greene, President, Americas as well as Eric de Neef, Executive Vice President, Global Chief Branding & Commercial Officer. He will be based in Minneapolis.

“We are delighted to welcome a seasoned international travel and tourism leader, like Charles, to lead this newly created role that will focus on increasing clarity and execution excellence in the Americas team, and fully integrate Marketing, Branding, Development, Commercial, and Operations strategies and initiatives to deliver our global ambition,” said de Neef.

“Charles brings with him more than 25-years of world-class experience with leading travel companies, in marketing, branding, sales and revenue management. He will be instrumental in driving revenue growth and brand awareness across Americas, and leveraging better global synergies across all brand and commercial strategies,” said Greene.

McKee’s most recent corporate assignment was leading the restructuring of marketing, loyalty and branding functions at Malaysia Airlines in Kuala Lumpur. His prior work has included serving as Chief Marketing Officer of Delta Hotels and Resorts and Air Canada, Commercial Executive Vice President of lastminute.com. He has nearly a decade of senior leadership experience with Virgin Atlantic Airways. Besides Kuala Lumpur, Charles has worked in New York, Tokyo and London. His overseas experience has further been broadened by leading the international offices of the Canadian Tourism Commission in 12 countries.

“I feel privileged to join one of the most dynamic hotel groups of the world, that has a passionate leadership team with a clear vision and an ambitious plan. I look forward to working with Ken and Eric, the entire global leadership teams and revenue generation experts across the organization, to bring my experience and their knowledge into a successful formula for Americas and globally.” said McKee.

McKee graduated from Harvard University with a specialization in East Asian studies.

]]>2017-08-17T17:15:49+00:00http://hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/interstate-hotels-resorts-to-manage-floridas-294-room-hyatt-regency-sarasot
http://hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/interstate-hotels-resorts-to-manage-floridas-294-room-hyatt-regency-sarasot#When:17:01:43ZARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 17, 2017 -- Interstate Hotels & Resorts – the leading U.S.-based global hotel management company – announces that it has been selected to manage the award-winning Hyatt Regency Sarasota, owned by a group led by Florida Philanthropist Dr. Kiran Patel. The hotel will be asset-managed by KDG Capital.

With a dramatic bayside setting, the eco-friendly Hyatt Regency Sarasota introduces guests to the best Florida has to offer. The modern, resort-style, 294-room hotel is located minutes from the spectacular white-sand beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. The hotel features more than 20,000 square feet of meeting space, a lagoon-style pool, 24-hour gym and a private 32-slip marina and dock.

Interstate also operates a 230-room Marriott in Minneapolis for Dr. Patel. Said Mike Deitemeyer, CEO of Interstate Hotels & Resorts, "It is gratifying to earn additional business from an existing customer. Operating premium-branded, full service hotels are at the core of our management capabilities, and we are excited to expand our relationship with Dr. Patel's organization within this lodging sector. We are confident in delivering exceptional guest experiences and generating superior financial returns for this premium, market-leading hotel and are thankful for his belief in our operating model."

A global leader in third-party hotel management, Interstate Hotels & Resorts' depth of experience across all lodging segments and asset classes drives results in each of its managed hotels worldwide. For more information on Interstate Hotels & Resorts, visit www.InterstateHotels.com.

]]>2017-08-17T17:01:43+00:00http://hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/john-a-rubino-promoted-to-executive-vice-president-of-interstates-crossroad
http://hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/john-a-rubino-promoted-to-executive-vice-president-of-interstates-crossroad#When:16:51:19ZARLINGTON, Va., Aug. 17, 2017 -- Interstate Hotels & Resorts – the leading U.S.-based global hotel management company – announces the promotion of John A. Rubino as Executive Vice President of Crossroads Hospitality, Interstate's select-service division, effective August 14, 2017. In his new position, Rubino will be responsible for overseeing overall management of the Company's 181-hotel portfolio of select-service and extended stay hotels in North America. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President of Operations in the Crossroads division.

"We are incredibly fortunate to have a deep pool of talented individuals throughout the company, and John's depth of experience and strong leadership ideally qualify him for this role," said Ted Knighton, President and Chief Operating Officer of Interstate Hotels & Resorts. "Through exceptional owner and brand relations, operations acumen and team building, John has greatly enriched our reputation as a high quality operator of this specialty lodging segment."

Rubino began with Interstate as opening General Manager at the award-winning Hampton Inn Montage and has been an integral part of the Interstate team for nearly 24 years. Continuing to drive his talent and expertise, John advanced into positions such as Regional Director, Vice President and most recently, Senior Vice President in Crossroads. He has served as a board member for a number of industry organizations including: the Northeast Pennsylvania Convention and Visitors Bureau, Lackawanna County Hotel Association, and Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI).

Previously holding management roles and executive-level positions with Trust Hospitality and Island Hospitality, Rubino's passion for continuous innovation has resulted in improved management and personnel relations through enhanced training processes, operating procedures, advisory councils, communications and owner relations. Hospitality is nothing new for Rubino as his desire to succeed in the industry has been a goal since college, where he attended Pennsylvania State University School of Hospitality Management and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Hotel Restaurant and Institutional Management.

A global leader in third-party hotel management, Interstate Hotels & Resorts' depth of experience across all lodging segments and asset classes drives results in each of its managed hotels worldwide. For more information on Interstate Hotels & Resorts, visit www.InterstateHotels.com.

]]>2017-08-17T16:51:19+00:00http://hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/r.d.-olson-begins-construction-on-24-million-hotel-trio-in-californias-wine
http://hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/r.d.-olson-begins-construction-on-24-million-hotel-trio-in-californias-wine#When:16:40:06ZIrvine, Calif. (Aug. 17, 2017) –R.D. Olson Construction, an award-winning general contracting firm in California, has commenced construction on Hotel Trio, a 122-room hotel in the heart of Sonoma County’s wine region. Located in Healdsburg, the hotel will connect the Dry Creek, Russian River and Alexander wine valleys, giving it its “Trio” moniker. Hotel Trio adds to the company’s robust portfolio of hospitality and restaurant projects in Northern California.

The 82,638-square-foot Hotel Trio will be located at 110 Dry Creek Road, with an expected completion in April 2018. The 122 guest rooms include 13 one-bedrooms and 109 studios. Within walking distance of town and a host of local wineries, the hotel will also offer on-site bicycle rentals to provide convenient access to the hundreds of wineries within a 30-mile radius. Amenities will include a bar, meeting room, outdoor pool, BBQ area, lounge, fully equipped fitness center and multiple outdoor patios with fireplaces.

“We are happy to expand our hospitality repertoire with this ground-up project in California’s wine country,” said R.D. Olson Construction vice president of construction, Matt Grubb. “The hotel will bring a much-needed, cost-effective option to the area for visitors who are looking for a high-end experience in a prime location.”

Boise is closing in on the ranks of the top ten cities in which to live in the U.S., according to the 2017 survey by U.S. News & World Report. The reasons for the elevated ranking—number 12, as of this year—include affordability, job prospects, and overall quality of life. This reflects Boise’s ascendance in other spheres, including population, visitation numbers, and the number of proposed hotels, especially in the city’s downtown corridor.

The ongoing development boom compares to the Grove Plaza-centric boom of the late 1980s and ‘90s,[1]when architectural staples of Downtown Boise arose, including the Wells Fargo building, the Grove Hotel, and the Boise Centre convention center.

The following HVS Market Pulse article details recent events in the Boise economy and the dynamics of supply, demand, and performance for the city’s hotels.

The Market

The Boise economy, while having diversified over the past two decades, is still predominated by food processing/distribution, heath care, and higher education. Albertsons, Inc. was one of Boise’s top employers before a substantial portion of the company was sold and relocated in 2006, affecting its headquarters operations in the city. The recession of 2008/09 intensified the strain on Boise’s economy, and by 2013, the Albertsons portfolio had shrunken to 192 stores nationwide.

Albertsons began to rebuild with the purchase of several grocery store brands, including Safeway Inc., in January 2015. Albertsons now operates approximately 2,300 stores nationwide under 18 banners. This has led to 26,000 new jobs across the nation, specifically tied to the Safeway Inc. acquisition, and has contributed to expanding the Boise corporate office from 200 to 600 workers.

St. Luke’s Health Systems, Boise’s top employer, continues to invest in its facilities and locations in the greater metro area. In June 2016, St. Luke's Boise Medical Center received approval for a $400-million expansion and renovation; the 576,000-square-foot expansion is expected to include a new children's medical center, medical office buildings, a parking garage, and a medical tower. Furthermore, St. Luke's Health has entered a purchase agreement for approximately 600,000 square feet of additional office space, including all buildings in Washington Group Plaza, to house all administrative offices and accommodate further expansion as part of the facility's Master Plan.

Higher education is expanding, as well. Boise State University reported that its fall 2016 total enrollment increased 8% over the same period the previous year. The growth included first-time degree-seeking students from both within Idaho and out of state.

The proposed Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine (ICOM) will be located at the Meridian Health Science Center at Idaho State University (ISU), just outside Boise. The privately funded ICOM will be independent of the university, however, and separately licensed. In May 2017, the proposed ICOM received pre-accreditation status, and construction of the roughly 96,000-square-foot, $31-million building is expected to begin once the school receives provisional accreditation.

Other developments in the Boise market include the recently opened JUMP (Jack’s Urban Marketplace), a community and interactive creative center; the new, nine-story J.R. Simplot headquarters’ building in Downtown Boise, which opened earlier this year; Saint Alphonsus’ $80-million hospital in Nampa; several multi- and single-family housing projects under development; various new restaurants; and 13 hotels.

Overall, development across the greater Boise market supported a 24% increase in jobs between September 2015 and September 2016, a higher percentage than any other metro area in the nation.

What’s Behind the Boise Boom?

Idaho’s favorable business climate, including an inviting tax structure and business incentives, has been very successful in bringing new businesses to Boise. In 2012, the state lowered both personal and corporate income taxes. The following year, the state exempted more than 90% of Idaho’s businesses from paying personal property tax. Other commercial incentives in Idaho include:

According to the Idaho Department of Labor, the state is projected to register the sixth-fastest job growth in the nation through 2024, growing 20% from 2014 through 2024, with jobs across diverse industries and sectors.

Tourism

Boise Centre

Boise Centre is Idaho's largest convention, meeting, and tradeshow facility. A 36,000-square-foot expansion was completed in September 2016, giving the facility 86,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space. The addition of a concourse connecting the new Boise Centre East space to Boise Centre's original convention space began in July 2016 and was completed in April 2017. The final stages, scheduled for completion by the end of this summer, include the renovation of the original convention space and the addition of a junior ballroom, meeting room, outdoor patio, and new restrooms. Upon completion, this will bring the total square footage of Boise Centre to nearly 100,000 square feet.

The Boise Centre expansion has already resulted in large gains, with an increase of approximately 19% in the number of conventions and 7% in the number of delegates in 2016 versus the previous year. Expectations are set even higher for 2017. Just this June, Boise Centre hosted the annual convention of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists. With approximately 1,400 attendees and an economic impact estimated at $2.5 million,[2] this was the largest conference in the city’s history. Hotel supply in Boise was a major factor in attracting this conference. At the time of booking, the Boise Convention & Visitors Bureau helped secure guestrooms at several hotels that were still under construction yet set to open by June. Looking forward, Boise Centre has secured the Football Bowl Association in 2018 and the Industrial Asset Management Council in 2020.

From 2006 to 2008, approximately twelve new hotels entered the greater Boise market. The new supply, coupled with the 2008/09 recession and the downsizing of Albertsons, dealt a blow to hotel performance in Boise. While several hotels in the market changed flags over the next several years, no new hotels opened in Boise until June 2016. The lack of new supply from 2009 to 2016 resulted in substantial growth in both occupancy and rate for existing hotels, especially as Boise entered back into a period of economic growth.

In January 2017, The Inn at 500 Capitol was the first luxury hotel to open in Downtown Boise. That opening was followed by the Hyatt Place Boise/Downtown, which opened in May 2017; moreover, the proposed Residence Inn by Marriott Downtown is scheduled to open in September of this year.

Following the opening of the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Boise Airport in 2016, the proposed Comfort Inn & Suites broke ground in May 2017 at Boise Airport. In the surrounding market, three hotels have also opened in 2017, including the My Place Hotel Meridian, the Best Western Plus Peppertree Inn Nampa Civic Center, and the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Nampa – Idaho Center.

The following table illustrates new and proposed hotel supply in the Boise market.

Seven New Hotels Are in the Pre-Development or Development Stages in Greater BoiseSource: HVS

City officials report that businesses and convention authorities welcome the new supply of hotels in Boise, as large conventions were formerly turned away for lack of rooms. This is especially true after the convention center’s expansion, which is expected to attract more and bigger events in the future. On the other hand, hoteliers express some concern that the influx of new supply, unprecedented since 2006 to 2008, could undermine the trend of performance growth in the market.

Given that most of the new supply is located within the downtown corridor, the surrounding submarkets could experience a reduction in overflow demand related to compression; however, these submarkets are also realizing demand growth that is not directly associated with the downtown market, such as the proposed Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine in Meridian and the Saint Alphonsus’ hospital in Nampa.

The Outlook

Although Boise has not experienced a period of full-steam development since the Grove Plaza-centric boom in the 1980s and ‘90s, the economic growth is well balanced among commercial, residential, and leisure projects. As new supply enters the market over the next two years, occupancy is anticipated to soften in the near term; however, given the growing strength of the Boise economy, a quick recovery is expected. Overall, the outlook for Boise is optimistic.

]]>2017-08-17T16:13:46+00:00http://hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/hftp-announces-2017-chae-of-the-year-recipient-guus-martinus-heijmans-chae
http://hotel-online.com/press_releases/release/hftp-announces-2017-chae-of-the-year-recipient-guus-martinus-heijmans-chae#When:15:07:47ZHeijmans will be honored at HFTP’s upcoming 2017 Annual Convention in October

Heijmans' accounting journey began from an F&B internship that he had under a J1 visa program that brought him to the United States in 2008. This was the year he received firsthand experience working within hotel management at the Marriott Renaissance Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland USA, and realized his passion was in hotel accounting. After returning to The Netherlands, Heijmans decided to continue his education at Stenden University in Leeuwarden where he earned his bachelors in International Hospitality Management and Business Administration in 2012. Alongside his studies, he had the opportunity to do a cluster traineeship in internal auditing for the Renaissance Amsterdam Hotel and the Amsterdam Marriott Hotel.

With a bachelor's degree and certificate in hospitality real estate, Heijmans took his first job out of college as a hotel night auditor at the Grand Hotel 'Huis ter Duin' in The Netherlands. In 2013, he became an assistant hotel controller before moving back to the United States in 2014. After moving to Long Beach, California USA, Heijmans received a job offer from The DoubleTree by Hilton Los Angeles-Commerce. Currently, Heijmans is an accounting/HR manager at Residence Inn by Marriott Los Angeles LAX/Century Boulevard.

"Receiving my CHAE designation and being nominated as 'HFTP's 2017 CHAE of the Year' has been one of my proudest and most rewarding accomplishments," said Heijmans. "The designation has already helped me so much in my day-to-day tasks and responsibilities as an accounting and HR manager for the Residence Inn LAX/ West Century Boulevard Hotel. I am thankful to those who offered moral support while I prepared to take my CHAE exam, and am thankful to HFTP for the opportunity to take the next step in my career and demonstrate my skills as a finance expert."

The CHAE professional designation is an industry designation showing competency in the area of accounting, and is acknowledged throughout the hospitality industry as it elevates the professionalism of both the recipient and the industry. More than 1,500 hospitality accountants, from several countries, have earned the CHAE designation through HFTP since the certification program began in 1981. A new CHAE exam is now available, and features a more global finance focus. HFTP also administers the examination and awards the Certified Hospitality Technology Professional (CHTP®).

For more information on HFTP's certification programs (CHTP and CHAE), please contact HFTP Certification Manager Robin Bogdon at Robin.Bogdon@hftp.org. For immediate information, visit the FAQ pages for both CHTP and CHAE certifications.

HFTP will produce its inaugural HITEC Dubai counterpart event, in partnership with Naseba, from November 14-15 – serving as the third, and final, HITEC of the year. In 2018, HFTP will bring back HITEC Amsterdam on April 11-14 in addition to the larger HITEC Houston on June 18-21. For more information about HITEC and HFTP's other global activities, contact the HFTP Meetings & Special Events Department education@hftp.org or visit www.hftp.org and www.hftp.org/hitec/.